Limits on Life
by HazelAbelia
Summary: (Deidara x OC) This man wasn't her dad. A cunning smirk was forming on his mouth as he looked her up and down. His blond hair covered one of his teal-colored eyes, but a tone of desire flooded in the one she could see. A husky timbre escaped as he spoke, "What a bang." And then she slammed the door shut.
1. Chapter 1

_Silence._

_The ultimate peace few enjoy the most._

_Nothing in the world can take the place of its persistence, and surely they all understand that it is as everlasting as they allow it to be. Silence is as deep as eternity; speech is shallow as time. Let them be silent so that they may hear the whispers of nothing, for it is one of the great arts of conversation…_

* * *

Although no one dared to open their mouths, it wasn't silent.

No one spoke, indeed, yet a conversation was loudly boasting itself almost cockily within their gazes. A question was presented forward inaudibly.

What was going to happen?

Silence's reign continued on endlessly; never ending, never changing. The wind blew restlessly as if to urge the group to get a move on and to leave its sacred land of deserted peace.

The group's hesitation was well placed however, for they knew nothing of the destructive power they were about to release. Truly, the organization was made up of the strongest people of their time, but even their strength couldn't prepare them for what was to happen next.

A man, standing tall with eyes as emotional as a rock, stepped forward with a somewhat heavy heart. He was the leader of the group, and his hopes had been placed on the highest pedestal of hierarchy, but he still feared of an unknown outcome. Their preparations had been completed a while ago within the morning hours of sunlight, and now the sun sat high, beating at their backs angrily.

A young adult, sleeping quietly on his bed of sand, was covered in blood. His body was positioned in alignment with the Flowers of Four Seasons. His limbs protruded outward at awkward angles, but correctly in order for the ritual to begin.

Nine members-including the leader-stood with bated breath as they watched the orange-haired man step forward. He opened his mouth to end eternity:

"By cultivating the seeds of heavenly flowers, we cultivate those that belong to powers greater in divinity. We ask that the power of those divine present us with what we are looking for in exchange of the blood of the Shiyokubai and the Flowers of Four Seasons."

The man's deep tone faded away along with the wind, silence greedfully returning to its rightful throne. For minutes did they stand in awaitment, listening intently for a sign and searching with their eyes for a change in their surroundings. Some were becoming impatient with their desires and began to complain, but they were soon shot down by looks of evil from the leader's partner, the only woman on their team.

But then the young adult woke up from his spot on the sand.

His eyelids lazily pulled themselves back to reveal dull, brown orbs. He had lost too much blood from his battle against this organization and simply had no strength to lift his head. His hair was matted with dirt and sand, and his legs had been broken after a terrible fall from a miniature cliff. He was lucky to be alive.

A few members stepped forward to knock the teenager back to sleep, but they were stopped by the leader, who was curious as to what would happen. Perhaps this was apart of the awakening...the awakening of true power.

However, he was wrong.

The young adult cracked a smile before hoarsely speaking out, "So this...is what you wanted me for?" His laughs quickly turned into sick coughs. "How pitiful."

Immediately, one of the men became heated and lifted his weapon, a triple-bladed scythe, to end the gurgles of the teenager. Strings of curses flew out of his mouth, but before he could perform his action, he was pulled away from the circle, hushed by a friend.

The actions of the violent member pleased the Shiyokubai, a happy grin stretching across his face. "I thought...you would have _at least..._looked a little more...into my family's history…" He tried to sit himself up, but his arms were too weak from the pain, ending with him collapsing upon the ground with his face staring straight up to the sky. The dried blood in his mouth tasted terrible, but he wanted to get his message across, "You don't even have...all of the necessary requirements...to perform the ritual… I am a-assuming...you thought...things would be easy?"

"If you tell us of your family's Shiyokubai history," the leader spoke, "we will revive you after your death."

The young adult's eyes widened slightly at the idea. He licked his dry lips to answer the man's statement, "...I have no desire...to disrespect my family-" His sentence quickly came to a halt as his lungs began to fail him-he knew the end was near.

"Then may you-"

The leader was cut off. "But...I will tell you of one thing...I am _not _the Shiyokubai...the person you are...looking for...is hidden well."

The boy's body slowly began to twitch as the rise and fall of his lungs ended themselves permanently. The information within the boy's mind was sealed away with his death, and the group had no use of him anymore.

So they had the Flowers of Four Seasons...but they were missing something else within the ritual? Not only that, but they had the wrong person?

Shiyokubai blood was passed on to the eldest offspring only within the family...did that mean the boy was not an only child?

If so, where was the sibling?

_2 Months Later_

"Oh, no no no no no! Please don't do this to me now!" The young woman cried, hastily scrubbing at her yellow blouse. It was so unfair! And today of all days!

"Maybe if I add some more bubbles…" She murmured, already knowing the shirt was a lost cause. The only pair of formal pants she had was a white and yellow knee-length skirt, and the only shirt she had that would match it was the one in her hands. However, the blouse was covered in soy sauce after the little girl she was babysitting last weekend thought it would be funny to rub it on her chest.

"_Well great…"_ she thought to herself, deciding that she was going to have to wear mismatched clothes. Hopefully, her father would understand if he asked her about it…

Wiping her hands off with a nearby towel, the brunette sat the laundry to the side and dug her hands into her pockets in search of the letter she had received last month. Pulling it out, she ran her fingers over the wrinkled paper slowly, reminding herself that it was a real letter from her father. Unfolding the letter carefully, she ran her fingers along the scripture silently before reading over the note once more for the hundredth time:

_Aya,_

_How long has it been! I must apologize for my inability to write you back, Shorty. I've been extremely busy with things here at Kumo...you know how the Raikage can be at times._

_However, I'm writing with a purpose, and it's extremely important that you give me your undivided attention. I will be coming to visit you on May 22nd to discuss a few things. There was an accident with Daisuke...and it's extremely important that you try and keep yourself under the radar until I can come and see you, alright?_

_You're a really smart girl, Shorty, and I trust that you will follow my orders until I can come and see you. I love you very much, Aya._

_Dad_

The young woman, Aya, smiled at her old nickname, remembering the old times of when she used to live with her father. If it wasn't for her condition, she could be with him right now…but dreaming for the past to change was just a waste of time.

His letter was a little unsettling though...the urgency in his words were unnerving, and her brother was supposedly in an accident? Hopefully he was okay…

It was also really odd how he ended his letter...Aya's father wasn't an emotional type of person, so seeing his words just seemed to reaffirm her suspicions that things were not alright.

With a quick shake of her head, she decided it was time to focus on getting things ready for her father's visit. She began to notice how quiet the village seemed to be today...considering that the neighbors who lived across the street from her were always outside playing around this time. Pushing away her observation though, she once again began to think about her brother, but hypothesizing about what had happen to Daisuke would just prove itself unnecessary when her father would arrive in a few hours to tell her the real story...yet she still couldn't help herself from wondering.

For the past eighteen years of her life, she had developed feelings of anxiety anytime something seemed to threaten her existence. Of course, she was certain anybody would feel that way, but even the slightest comment could send her into hiding. She had grown up living a childhood very different from the standard beginnings of life and was taught by her father the horrid past of her bloodline.

-xxx-

"_To obtain aptitude and strength," _her father once said, "_shinobi work hard to perfect and sharpen their skills, building powerful bonds with friends; however, some shinobi seek an easier route to power, and will steal, lie, and even kill to receive false talent."_

He told her about his story many times in the past, about how he was sought after by many ninja because of a legend...a legend that told of the power of the Shiyokubai.

The Shiyokubai was once a colossus who journeyed the nations in search for blood to quench his hunger. He had traveled from his distant country in search of new prey when the first civilizations of shinobi were developing. He ate and feasted upon all who crossed his path, that is, until he was sealed away into the body of a child.

The child had grown up to become the greatest ninja of his era and saved his village numerous times from others with the help of the power granted to him by the Shiyokubai. The child, who was now a man, married and had many offspring, in which the village was hopeful his kin would become shinobi who were even greater than their father. However, only the eldest showed promise while the others failed and became regular villagers. It had even turned out that the man who carried the Shiyokubai no longer held the colossus's power.

It had been passed on to his eldest child.

For generations, this had continued, finding its way through loopholes whenever the eldest child didn't have children. The bloodline of Shiyokubai powers always reappeared in the next generation, even if the eldest refused to pass on his/her DNA or died at a young age. It was rumored that the Shiyokubai had the strength of multiple tailed-demons...

The carriers of the Shiyokubai were forced into hiding as children in fear of shinobi taking advantage of their young age. When the Shiyokubai was first sealed away, a group of men had used the Flowers of Four Seasons and the Scrolls of Night and Day to tame the beast's power. If those six items-along with the Shiyokubai- were brought together in ceremonial fashion, then the colossus would return stronger than ever before, dedicating himself to serving the humans who had released him in exchange for his freedom…

Eventually, the story of the Shiyokubai turned into a legend...the Kages of all the villages probably didn't know of the existence of the Shiyokubai due to how secretive the bloodline had become...

Daisuke could have been attacked because of this…

-xxx-

After hanging her laundry out on the line to dry, Aya entered her house with haste, a terrible feeling of being watched taking over her senses. She looked down at the dark blue marking on her wrist, a sharp exhale escaping her nose as she resisted the urge to give a bitter laugh. It was funny how fate seemed to never play in her favor, no matter how good her cards were. Her situation was quite unique...most Shiyokubai were immediately sent to train to become a shinobi in order to learn how to protect themselves, but she was sent to a village south of Kumogakure, which was her birthplace.

She lived in a decently-sized town full of many distant relatives who shared her name…well, at least the majority of them did. They had dedicated their lives to protecting her and ultimately, all five nations of shinobi from the power of the Shiyokubai. They felt it was unnecessary to teach her any major forms of ninjutsu, but did spend some time with her on taijutsu. Considering her home wasn't even located on a map, they thought she would be safe living far away from her father, an adviser of the Raikage, and her brother, a jounin of Kumogakure.

"If only life were simple." The brunette said out loud to herself. Entering her kitchen, she decided it was time to begin chopping up the vegetables for a miso soup, remembering her father talk about how it was his favorite thing to eat whenever he visited restaurants in one of his letters. She pulled out a cutting board and knife, preparing the green onion slowly to make sure she wouldn't mess things up like usual. She originally never knew how to make miso soup until a week ago when she asked her neighbor, Asuka, to help her out. Aya recalled how the old woman's dark green eyes seemed to light up at her request, more than happy to assist the young woman. Typically, Aya liked to keep to herself, keeping a sharp eye out for suspicious people…

After all the veggies were chopped and well-prepared, she left to go change her clothes from the old capris she was wearing to her white and yellow skirt and a dark blue blouse. The colors didn't match whatsoever, but she liked how the blouse made her eyes pop a little. She glanced into the mirror, planning on only taking a few moments, but ended up critically commenting on her appearance for a minute or two. Dark circles seemed to have permanently rested themselves under her reddish-brown eyes from her anxiety attacks and book reading at night. Her pale, tiny form looked unflattering in her eyes due to her small breasts and the freckles that decorated her nose and cheeks. She could pinpoint a few discolored marks on her knees from when she used to pick at the scabs, and her wavy, brown hair looked like a frizzed up mess on top of her head.

But nevertheless, she gave herself the nod of approval and left for the kitchen.

After setting some water overtop the gas oven, she let it sit to boil and focused on pouring drinking water into some cups. She set the cups on the dining table in the other room, running her fingers across the smooth wooden surface.

"_It's been a long time since I last used this." _Aya thought, smiling deeply as she patted her pocket to feel the note. She had not seen her father in several years...she couldn't wait to hear his stories about his work and to show him the illustrations she had been laboring over. Aya liked to consider herself an artist; she paid her bills by painting signs and murals throughout town and creating designs for fabrics at the retail store. Drawing was a side hobby for her, but she normally spent most of her time reading geographical books about the places she couldn't visit.

Returning to the kitchen, she listened for the sound of boiling, yet there was none. Deciding to wait a little longer, she leaned against the tiny, cream-colored counter beside the stove, looking out the window with a hint of boredom.

It was strange though...peering through the glass, she squinted her eyes at a dark figure standing quite a distance away. It could be her father, but why wouldn't he take the main gate into the village? How strange…

The sound of boiling water filled her ears as she glanced down to confirm her assumption. Looking back up however, the dark figure she saw had disappeared…

Scratching the back of her head, she pulled out the dashi and a whisk to prepare for the next step in the process. She had just started to pour the dashi granules in, but she was stopped...

A loud banging on her door entered her ears over the sound of boiling water, and she nearly dropped her utensils on the floor. Her ochre orbs glanced to the clock ticking away silently above the sink…

He's here! A little early, but nearly on time!

With a quick flip of a switch, she turned off the gas oven and smoothed out the creases in her skirt. There was a little skip to her step as her shoes guided her across the wooden floors of her home, making little squeaks with every footfall. Her eyes glanced around the room as her emotions swung wildly; did she dust off the dining table? Did her father still like miso soup? What if he didn't like the decor of her home? What would she do?

She took several deep breaths as she gently placed her hand on the cool, brass knob of her door. There goes her mind...worrying over silly things that were barely even worth it. She was sure her father would be pleased to see how much effort she had placed into her work for him!

With a quick twist and tug, she plastered the largest smile she could muster onto her face.

"Hey, Dad-" the young woman halted mid-sentence as she stared at the man standing in front of her.

This man wasn't her dad.

A cunning smirk was forming on his mouth as he looked her up and down. His blond hair covered one of his teal-colored eyes, but a tone of desire flooded in the one she could see. A husky timbre escaped as he spoke, "What a bang…"

And then she slammed the door shut.

* * *

**A.N.: And there we have it! I really hope I explained things at least somewhat well...it was hard trying to cover as much information as I could about the background of this story, and I must apologize for throwing all of that information at you! I felt it was necessary in order for the story to have a backbone of some sort, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask. This is my first story and I am rather nervous about how it will be received by you all, so I ask that you leave a review if you have the time! I would greatly appreciate it, but the fact that you read the first chapter of my story is quite endearing and nearly just as good as a review. ^^**

**Thanks**


	2. Chapter 2

_Pride can be defined in many ways._

_It is a satisfaction derived from one's own achievements. It is the attainments of those with whom one is closely related. It is from qualities or possessions that are widely admired._

_Pride is closely interpreted and intermingled with pleasure. Without pleasure, pride ceases. _

_Being prideful is not a bad thing, depending on how you express it. _

_Pride is closely associated to __believing that one is essentially better than others, failing to acknowledge the accomplishments of someone rather than themselves, and excessive admiration of the personal self..._

_Yet is this true? Isn't it possible to show pride without becoming overbearing?_

_I suppose so… Pride is __**sinful**__. But then humility was created._

_Humility is a modest view of one's own importance. Many believe it is impossible to accomplish humbleness, but surely we've all seen it before. Its effects have been shadowed by pleasure; the pleasure that brings forth pride._

_It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels._

* * *

"OW! My nose!" Aya quickly locked the door, her eyes engaged with the entrance. Her legs were shaking uncontrollably, trying to hold her body up as fear ran its course through her. She had caught sight of the black cloak he was wearing, the red clouds blending together as she put two and two together...he was an Akatsuki member.

She had first learned about the Akatsuki several months ago after hearing about an incident in Kumogakure when they showed up to steal one of the tailed beasts. The Akatsuki was a prime example of what her father had warned her about in the past; they were an organization willing to do _anything _to achieve ultimate power.

She knew this day would happen eventually...but today?! A look of pure terror remained on her face as she slowly backed away from the intruder, listening as he cursed in frustration.

"I swear, I would blow this house to _bits_ if we didn't need you! Hmm!" The masculine voice echoed through her ears as he continued to kick at her door.

Many different scenarios and escape routes filtered through her mind at a rapid speed, all of them resulting in a terrible ending. She continued to back away from her door before she bumped into the dining table and knocked over the glasses of water she had set up, her legs becoming doused with the liquid.

_Bang!_

She began to jog toward her kitchen, grabbing the first thing she saw to use as a weapon.

_Bang!_

She could hear him taunting her, promising he wouldn't hurt her if she was a good girl…

Yeah, right.

_BANG!_

The door finally caved in to his kicks as his form appeared in the entryway, a frustrated look marring his face before a smirk appeared. Aya took this moment to turn around and exit the back door, clutching the kitchen knife she was carrying to her chest.

Her arsenal of weapons was lying on the desk in her bedroom, but she unfortunately didn't have time to run over there and grab it… Now it was just a game of cat and mouse.

Injecting chakra into the soles of her feet, she pushed herself into a sprint and took to the trees, hearing her pursuer give an exasperated grunt. He probably wasn't expecting this from her…but she wasn't going to make things easy for him. If he really wanted her that badly, he wouldn't mind a little bit of work.

The trees rushed by her at an intense speed, Aya's anxiousness getting the better of her as she tripped a little. One mistake and it would all be over with; that's how close he was to her. She planned on making a circle to head back to her home, remembering that her father was going to show up soon. Her chances of taking on an Akatsuki member and coming out on top were extremely slim from what she's heard about them, so she would have to stay close.

-xxx-

The high-speed chase that began about thirty minutes ago was starting to take its toll on Aya. She didn't exercise regularly, which would likely be her downfall. She chanced a desperate glance behind her, her eyes widening in fear by the Akatsuki member's overwhelming proximity. She could tell he seemed a little excited with their game, inching forward slowly with every leap they took. He also probably knew that she was trying to head back to her village since they were constantly moving to the right to perform a U-turn.

God, if only she hadn't run! She would have had a better chance holding her ground with the help of the villagers…

But now that she thought about it, none of the villagers came to help her. That was the main reason why she lived there with them! So they could protect her from invaders seeking to use her as the Shiyokubai!

The only plausible reason she could think of was that this Akatsuki member must had taken out the villagers before approaching her...no wonder it was so quiet out today.

Aya pushed her heartache away as she thought of the many different possibilities as to what could have happened to the villagers-no...her_ family_. It wouldn't help her if she went into an episode of delirium. She needed to keep herself calm and collected if she wanted to make it out alive-

_BOOM!_

The branch underneath her foot gave away as an immense explosion shook her surroundings, she crashed upon the ground, dropping the kitchen knife as her body rolled and tumbled like a heap of leaves in the wind—except not as graceful. Her back collided with the trunk of a tree, her eyelids drooping as the world became hazy. The blond-haired man who had been chasing her landed right beside her, getting down on his knees to cup her face in his hands.

What's going on?

"Oi, don't die on me, hmm." He patted her cheeks some, but the world of sleep was begging her to close her ochre eyes. She had hit her head harshly against the ground when she landed, and it was enough to make tears form in the corners of her eyes. A searing migraine rushed through her head as she shoved the Akatsuki member away from her, stumbling to her feet before falling back down. The blond grabbed her before she could move any further, grunting as she struggled in his grasp. Soon enough, he had her pinned down.

A dark figure appeared out of the corner of her vision, approaching Aya and the intruder. A deep rage began to build inside of her when she realized the newcomer was wearing the black and red cloak that matched his partner's.

"Deidara...you know I don't like to be kept waiting." A deep rumble emitted from behind the bandana secured around his mouth. The brunette could feel her heart nearly stop when the figure shuffled out of the shade of the trees, revealing a monstrous form with no definite body shape. A hat made of bamboo covered his head and the piercing black orbs that watched Aya carefully.

"I didn't think she would start running...un."

"So I assume your 'seductive' approach didn't work?"

"Not like you would have done any better, Sasori no Danna."

She listened to the two exchange insults back and forth, seeing this as her chance to escape.

She had made one conclusion during the process:

These people were _crazy._

Aya slowly began to shimmy away, the blond, Deidara, becoming heated with his partner. He waved his arms around frantically as he stood to get in the shorter man's face, exclaiming something about art before making a childish face. Aya slowly rose to her feet before collapsing once more when her knees locked up, her face landing on the grass. She continued crawling, determined to get somewhere...

"Where do you think you're going?" A kunai landed just in front of her eyes, scaring her as she jumped back into something soft. A gasp escaped her lips when someone sliced her shoulder, red liquid dousing her blouse. The wound was nothing really, but it had caught her by surprise. For a few moments she squirmed until her whole body went numb, and she was lifted into the air. She was thrown onto the shoulders of Deidara, his hair getting into her mouth as she spit it out.

"What did you do to me?" Her voice was barely audible, the pain in her head maximizing as the blond began to walk forward.

"I inserted a weak poison into your system." The deep voice of the other Akatsuki member, Sasori, echoed out. "You should be thankful...if you were anyone else, you wouldn't be alive. Your Shiyokubai blood protects and enhances your immune system." He sounded a little smug with himself and the knowledge he knew, annoying her as she attempted to move; but her arms and legs refused to listen, dangling helplessly over Deidara's shoulder.

The brunette watched silently as the monster's awkwardly large body shuffled behind his partner, "Where are you taking me?"

"..."

Figures.

Their small group returned to the village, traveling down the main road toward the exit. Aya's eyes widened as she took in the sight of her town, tears threatening to spill over. Everything...everything was destroyed. All the homes, her murals, the stores, the restaurants...they were all burnt to the ground. She saw no bodies, but the destruction was overwhelming...did all of this happen while she was at home?

Her hatred for these people increased greatly as she watched the buildings crumble right before her eyes, the flames of the fire burning bright with devastation. She was coming up with plans of escape in her mind, knowing this poison wouldn't last forever in her system...the question was how long would it last? She thought about pretending to still be numb even after the effects of the poison wore off until the Akatsuki members weren't paying attention and she could run off; but if Sasori knew how long it would last, then her plan would be useless.

Suddenly, her captor halted in his steps, his hair once again getting in her mouth. The arm that was anchoring her legs to his chest shifted slightly as he dug one hand into his pocket, pulling out something that she couldn't see.

"Are you sure you want to do that, Deidara?" The bandana secured around his mouth didn't move when he spoke and now that Aya could hear him clearly, there was an echo to it...what was he exactly? It was though the monster was a shell of some sort, but she couldn't tell. The cloak and bamboo hat that he wore covered nearly every inch of his body, making it difficult to tell what was what from the shape.

"I don't want to carry her for another couple miles, un."

Aya frowned at his sentence, wondering if he was trying to imply something.

"Won't it draw more attention to us? You do remember what Leader-sama said..?"

"Don't worry about it."

A gust of wind blew by as Deidara began to climb up onto something white. He dropped the girl on his shoulder quickly, setting her onto something cold... "What is this thing?" She asked, watching as Sasori climbed on as well, taking a seat next to her much to her dismay.

"This is my art, un. We are taking a shortcut."

...Art?

The cold material felt soft and mushy as her body sank into the substance. It felt like clay, but she wasn't too sure if that was what she could call his 'art.' She still couldn't move at all, and her brain was pounding fiercely against her skull. She could see the red flames of what was now her home, eyes widening when people began to walk out from behind the buildings...

They were alive?

She was happy to know they were all safe and unharmed, but something felt off about them. Why didn't they come to help her? If they were all ok and capable, why couldn't they stop these two from taking her?

She watched as the ground began to float away from them, the wind whipping at her face and hair as it turned out they were riding on some sort of bird. Was this a summoning jutsu?

She wished someone down below would do something to help her..._anything_. But they all just stood and watched, their homes burning down as their eyes looked on at her with a distinct emotion running through them...it was disgust.

She couldn't ponder anymore on this sight, however. The world was darkening as her head fell slack onto her chest. The last thing she saw before she passed out was the blond-haired man's back as he stood at the head of his bird, commanding it to fly in an unknown direction without a word uttered...

* * *

Warmth.

Reddish-brown eyes were revealed as the brunette awoke, finding herself lying on a loveseat that sat in front of a fireplace. She pulled herself up a little too quickly, clutching her head as it ached. Images of fire and smoke flooded her memories as nightmares seemed to plague her. She stared at the flames dancing in the hearth, looking on with disbelief. She could move her limbs perfectly fine now, but she didn't know how long she had been asleep. The room she was in was rather cozy with lamps and plants. The curtains were drawn back to reveal that it was nighttime, the moon sitting high in the sky. A rocking chair was placed in the corner of the room, giving it a homey and intimate feel that reminded her of her old place in Kumogakure.

Voices echoed from outside of the room, muttering things she couldn't hear. She had absolutely no clue as to where she was and soon decided to take a look around to see if she could conjure up an idea. Just as she was going to stand up though, her legs collapsed on her and she fell like a heap onto the floor. She slowly peeled herself off the ground before once again attempting to stand, successful this time. Her legs shook as she stepped toward the door, hearing a familiar voice. She remembered it to be the blond-haired Akatsuki member, but she couldn't recall his name...

"-scrolls, un."

"Ask her then. You know what to do if she refuses to cooperate."

"And after I find out where they are, then what?"

"Bring her to the base and contact Leader-sama to let him know."

"Wait, why the f*** are we trusting this idiot?!"

"Shut up, Hidan, I'm sure Deidara can handle one meager, little girl."

"But what if he f**** up? I'm not taking the blame for him!"

"Then Leader-sama will take care of it. All we have to do is bring the Shiyokubai-"

Aya hesitantly stepped away from the door, unwilling to listen to anymore of what they had to say. She was tired...tired of living this bad dream. She could only pray that her father was alright and had heard of what happened to her. She began to imagine the villagers telling him what happened, all of them rushing to save her from her captors...

With her luck though, that wasn't going to happen. For now, she would have to rely on herself for protection and do whatever it took to stop the Akatsuki from using her. She had no allies. She had no friends. Just herself.

And she refused to let them win.

* * *

**A.N.: Thank you so much for reading! It warms my heart to watch the amount of viewers slowly increase as people continue to read my work. I'd also like to give big thanks to some guy, KimmyBoo, and the 2 Guests that reviewed and gave me some very encouraging words! I truly appreciate what you guys had to say, and it drove me to keep on writing! **

**Constructive criticism is absolutely welcomed. I want to improve my writing and perform to the best of my abilities for my readers, so please don't be afraid to leave me a review.**

**Have a wonderful day!**


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